Has anyone else finished the season yet? I LOVED this season. Almost as good as the phenomenal season 2 with Vee. I loved all the role reversals - guards as prisoners, Red on drugs & Nicky sober, Lorna in charge of the psych meds. So much fun to explore all the possibilities. And the ending - I can’t believe I have to wait another year to see how that turns out!
I thought the first couple of seasons were good. At some point, the show seemed to have jumped the shark.
I finished and absolutely hated the season. I thought the show’s delicate balance between seriousness and humor, between realism and the absurd, which has always been the hallmark of OITNB, was completely upended by the prison riot plot. The constant switching among groups of inmates in each episode was unfocused, chaotic and repetitious (as opposed to past episodes that would each center on one or two main stories)–I swear half the footage was of people running back and forth through hallways to no purpose. The violence and humiliations exhibited by both inmates and guards were over the top and repellent. Piper and Alex bored me to tears.
I did like a few things. Danielle Brooks did some great acting. The comedy duo of Flaritza was a hoot. The last scene was poignant.
I hope the producers have something better in mind for next season. Or maybe it’s just time to call it quits. Every show has a natural life, and OITNB may just be at the end of its run.
Interesting! I definitely felt like they left the plane of reality as well, but thought it was fun. I loved the bunker, although that would never happen in real life. Also, the guard talent show. Funny idea in a weird and disturbing way. I did NOT like the Judy King slave thing - that went too far.
When I started watching I didn’t realize the whole season was going to cover just 3 days of the riot. I finished watching about a week ago; these things stood out to me:
–Red’s backstory with the black market jeans
–the life of Daya’s mom outside of prison, trying to get a job, etc
–Daya giving her baby to Pornstache’s mom (that whole thing is just weird since he’s not even the dad)–thought the actress playing Daya did a great job in that scene
–Gloria and Maria both wanting to see their children, both trying to use freeing the guards to do so.
–Lorna really being pregnant?!?
–Frieda (both her backstory and the reveal of the bunker)
–Flaritza—can’t believe they are separated, those videos were great and the way they had a new outfit made out of scrubs and sweats every episode was hilarious
–Danielle Brooks as Taystee was terrific
Did anyone else notice at the end the prisoner count was off by one? Chang and Pennsatucky were both awol. They counted Linda from MCC as a prisoner, so that takes care of one, but they are still short a prisoner, right?
On the whole I enjoyed the season and I am curious to see how they proceed next year.
I loved the season. @bearpanther, excellent points.
They can’t possibly kill off all of those main characters, right? Right?
I didn’t like it the first few episodes, but thought it kept getting better throughout. Loved seeing Nickie with proper makeup and one of the girls saying “now your eyes aren’t upside down”. Flaritza…my favorite part of the entire season…haha. It was fun, but I do think it is very different from the first couple seasons. That is one thing I don’t like about all these Netflix series…waiting an entire year. I always have to watch the last episode before beginning again. Not sure how I feel about Piscetella. Thought it was kind of a letdown the way he was killed.
I didn’t like it as much as past seasons maybe because the novelty is gone. I enjoyed the new story lines in which we got to know some previously minor characters more than I liked the stories about the old leading characters.
In MommaJ’s camp. Dark. Too much running around without developing characters.
Chopped up. My very least favorite season.
I did get tired of the two druggie girls. I don’t think they are funny at all.
^The meth heads. Boring and unrealistic.
I enjoy the Caputo / Figueroa relationship - especially the prisoner negotiations that they managed to fill with sexual innuendo. Delightfully dysfunctional.
I must say that the meth head duo are my least favorite characters.
I’ve always thought they overdo the meth head stupidity thing. I know they’re supposed to be ignorant but I get sick of the dumb as dirt malapropisms. “Attica? Isn’t that the guy from that To Kill a Mockingjay book? Attica!!” C’mon, really?
I really enjoyed Frieda’s backstory and I thought Danielle Brooks’ acting was great too. It was a weird season but maybe they needed some darkness to shake things up a little.
It feels to me like the show is beginning to run down. I do think they could manage a final season in which Piper is released.
I loved this season. I think the riot storyline and the three day timeline was a wonderful way to change things up. The chaotic feel of parts of it were absolutely intentional, how else would it be during a riot? My favorite parts were the small one on one (mostly) scenes in each episode. Terrific acting and beautiful writing for all of them. I think we often forget what a great cast this show has and it’s particularly great, in my opinion, for the number of female actors it has portrayed over the five seasons. Lots of work for women, so yay for that!
Selenis Leyva (Gloria) is such a brilliant actor and her storyline, and moral dilemma in this season is heartbreaking. Adrienne Moore (Cindy) in her scene with Uzo Aduba (Suzanne), singing to her and calmly stroking her hair, showed more of her character’s story of her shortcomings as a mom, and then we see her ‘sister’ who is really her daughter. So good. Lots of mothering themes this season.
I think that Caputo’s role in this season was very good, his acting, when subtle, is very good. The backstories have always been one of my favorite parts of the series and this season did not disappoint. Loved seeing Dascha Polanca’s daughter playing young Daya.
I guess my least favorite part of this season was that there was such a focus on Piper and Alex, and on the meth girls. I don’t care for any of those characters. I also didn’t really get the need for the Piscatella return.
I’m still sad that they killed off Poussey in Season 4. One of my favorite characters.
Just saw the new Spiderman and had to restraint myself from shouting “that’s the actress who played Gloria” when she appeared.
@stradmom - I agree - so much depth and talent to the cast. The cast is ENORMOUS. So many different characters to work with.
I love Dascha Polanca and I love the character she plays. The idea that Daya, of all people, would end up holding the gun in that melee is so ironic, and ultimately so sad.
So many wonderful actresses, so many of them far from the standard Hollywood types. I really hope that this results in more of them getting more work. Dascha was in the Jennifer Lawrence movie Joy.